Anxiety and Depression

These days, it isn’t uncommon to hear someone speak out on their battle with anxiety or depression. What once seemed to be unspoken words in the public eye, is now more common. It seems as though everyone realized that they’re no longer alone in life and we as humans are more connected than ever. One of the most common connections we share are Anxiety and Depression. Some people self diagnose these disorders while others were diagnosed by a health care professional and are prescribed medication. Because I am seeing and hearing so many people speak up about their battles with anxiety and depression, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is because of the way society is today.

For most, the majority of the day is spent scrolling up and down on social media while our minds run a mile a minute. Because we are exposed to so much at one time, thoughts start to arise. You retweet things you like and like pictures you see. Everything starts to become a blur and before you know it, you realize that the reason for all of this is because we are all seeking validation and attention. Meanwhile, when we don’t get that validation or attention or bodies and minds start to go into a panic. Does nobody like me? Am I not pretty enough? These thoughts turn into Anxiety and for some, Depression that they don’t even know is occurring. Would we even feel this way if we didn’t base our lives on the amount of likes we received? It makes me wonder if our bodies and brains were even conditioned for this way of living.

Conditions that were once sacred and not talked about are now the norm and it seems as though you if you don’t have anxiety or depression, you aren’t normal. The truth is, many of us do have them. The severity varies for everyone. But with the way the society glamorizes suicide it does not make it unrealistic that it is glamorizing anxiety and depression too. Is anxiety and depression a social construct that is now glamorized by society?